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Sun Myung Moon, FFWPU and the Unification Church in their own words

Myth and Fact:
Sun Myung Moon, FFWPU and the Unification Church

Myth:

Sun Myung Moon's followers capture and enslave children.

Fact:

The "Children" referred to here are adults, not real children. They are
adults who chose a religion, lifestyle, or spouse that their parents did not approve of.
Parents who can not fathom that their adult children would stop obeying them, may claim
their children were being held against their will. The actual case is that adult members
of the Unification Church did not agree with the way their parents wanted to run their
lives. To my knowledge there is no Unification Church child evangelization. As far as I
can see, all child members of the Unification Church are the children of adult members.

Myth:

Moonies are a business, whose purpose is to make Sun Myung Moon rich.

Fact:

There are businesses owned by members of the Unification Church, just as Catholics,
Moslems, Hindus, Protestants, Jews, and Buddhists own businesses. However, the Unification
Church is not a business, it is not even profitable. People follow Sun Myung Moon because
it can lead them to God. Those same people leave the Unification Church if they can find a
better way to serve God. There is no charge to learn about the Unification Church. I do
not think that there even a charge to join. There is no fee for Unification Church
sacraments or Unification Church Sunday School. Seating is first come first serve, no
seats reserved for big Unification Church contributors.

Myth:

Moonie leaders live in mansions, while Moonies live in squalor.

Fact:

Almost all of Rev. Sun Myung Moon's followers live in their own homes, not in church
owned property. Some church workers live in church owned buildings. They usually pay rent.
Sun Myung Moon pays rent. Some people don't pay rent. The reason usually is that they are
involved in full time church work, without remuneration. You may have heard about Moonie
Mansions. I have lived at most of them at one time or another, as have many other
Unification Church members. Most of them were run down when we purchased them. We fixed
them up for our use. I don't think that most would be called mansions if the Unification
Church did not own them.

Myth:

Moonies are brainwashed, and Moonies want to brainwash you.

Fact:

I have always thought it interesting that the CIA, Coca-Cola, and the US Army cannot
figure out a way to brainwash folks, but every religious leader who is a heretic to the
conservative religious knows how. I have read books that explain that I am brainwashed or
experiencing a mental disease because I believe that Sun Myung Moon is the messiah. It
seems to me that the problem is not my state of mind but that my religious belief is not
"approved." I notice that the definition of "cult" is only applied to
heretics. The Beatles, Mormons, and Amway salesmen are all cultists. The Boston Pops,
Southern Baptists, and General Motors salesmen are not cultists.

Myth:

Moonies use deception in everything.

Fact:

Religious people should not be deceptive. No religion, including Sun Myung Moon's,
teaches that it is good to lie, cheat, murder, commit adultery, etc. Sun Myung Moon and
his followers are human; and are not flawless. There have been examples of deception.
However, even those who have practiced it know it is wrong. It is just that their morality
is not up to the challenges of life. Consider, the Unification Church has never
participated in a holy war, has never killed, tortured, or even persecuted people who did
not follow its teachings. Sun Myung Moon does not even think of members of other religions
as heretics. Not many religions or churches can say that.

Myth:

Moonies want to enslave you first, then take your money, and lastly make you go out and
beg for more money.

Fact:

The Unification Church is glad to have your money. Send donations to:

Unification Church
4 West 43 Street
New York, NY 10036

Almost all church funds come from the donations of members, but you don't have to be a
member to donate. Some Unification Church members ask for donations on the street.
However, I have not seen one in years. Have you?

Myth:

Moonies plan to take over the world, and set up a Moonie world government.

Fact:

Sun Myung Moon and the Unification Church are not capable of taking over the world,
even they wanted to. We believe that God wants to establish an ideal world on earth and in
the spirit world. Man cannot do it. Only God and man working together voluntarily can
bring this about.

Myth:

Moonies are mindless robots, who will only obey Moonie commander's orders. Sun Myung
Moon is the chief Moonie commander. Moonies think that he is God. Moonies believe that he
is their mind, since Moonies are incapable of thinking on their own.

Fact:

Both Sun Myung Moon and Moonies are actually human. We have the same problems,
strengths, and weaknesses as all people do. Calling us "Moonies" is just
a technique of making it easy to hate us, because Moonies aren't human. It is easy
to hate and persecute robots. The word Moonie has the same purpose as nigger,
kike, spik, mick, or Polak. It is to make a group of enemies,
that it is acceptable to hate and misuse.

The opinion of Gary Fleisher

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